Hear from Candace Carnahan, President and CEO of the Grand Junction Area Chamber of Commerce on this month's Full Circle Podcast. Find out more about what the Chamber does to support the businesses in our community and what opportunities there are to get involved!
Learn more about the Chamber at https://gjchamber.org/.
If you prefer to watch your podcasts, head over to our YouTube page to check out this and all our episodes!
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Speaker 2 (00:06):
The Full Circle podcast, compelling interviews
and incredible tales fromColorado's Western Slope, from
the mountains to the desert.
Christy Reese and her team herefrom the Movers Shakers, and
characters of the Grand Valleyand surrounding mountain towns
that make the Western slope theplace we all love. You'll
learn, you'll laugh, you'lllove with the full circle.
Hello everyone and welcome backto the Full Circle Podcast. I'm
(00:27):
your host, Kristy Reese, andtoday I'm really excited and
honored to have as our guest,Candace Carnahan, president and
CEO of the Grand Junction AreaChamber of Commerce. Welcome,
Candace.
Speaker 3 (00:38):
Thank you Kristi .
Appreciate being here. Yeah.
Speaker 2 (00:41):
So much to talk about. There's so much that
goes on in the chamber. And ,uh, disclaimer of sorts. I was
, uh, on the board for fouryears at the Chamber and just
ended my term, but I reallyloved , uh, working with the
Chamber. And, you know, beforeI became , uh, got on the
board, I wasn't sure what aChamber did, honestly. Mm-Hmm .
(01:02):
. I was like, inthis day and age , um, 'cause
my past experience withChambers was more about
networking, and I was like, inthis day and age, do we really
need those networkingopportunities? But honestly,
they're super valuable and theChamber does so much more.
There's , so there's a lot totalk.. Before we get
into that, we always like tostart with a little bit of your
history. So you grew up inGrand Junction, correct?
Speaker 3 (01:24):
I did. Born and raised here in Grand Junction.
So proud graduate of CentralHigh School. Nice. Of course,
did the traditional walkaboutgo out , experience things ,
uh, but so excited to come backinto the community and now just
absolutely honored and humbledto serve this community that ,
uh, I have been a part of myentire life in this , this
(01:45):
role. So, yes, very
Speaker 2 (01:47):
Exciting. Awesome.
You went to Colorado StateUniversity? Mm-Hmm.
. Mm-Hmm .
. What'd youmajor in there?
Speaker 3 (01:51):
I did. So actually I majored in speech and
theatrical design. So just toshow you that your path might
be curvy and not what youalways intended. Absolutely.
Um, but it's, it's interesting.
Learned so many differentthings, but it's really the
journey between college and nowthat has really led me to where
(02:12):
I'm at today. Mm-Hmm.
.
Speaker 2 (02:13):
And, and talk a little bit about that path.
What kind of jobs andprofessions were you in, in the
interim? Yeah.
Speaker 3 (02:20):
You know, I've always found myself very
service oriented in whateverrole I've been in. So obviously
I've done my time in , uh,being a waitress and food
service, which so many of ushave done, which I think is
critical and everybody should ,and they should. I was, I was
just getting ready to say thesame thing. You learned so much
Mm-Hmm . frombeing in those service related
roles. Um, but I, I did go andwork at , uh, Walt Disney World
(02:44):
for seven years, where I , um,trained on their traditions and
their standards. And when youwanna talk gold standards of ,
oh boy, how to make sure thatyou're navigating service and
crafting an experience forpeople every day , uh, quite
frankly, no matter what kind ofday you are having, it's
potentially the best day oftheir lives. Yeah. Um, you
(03:08):
learn so much of what to do,what not to do, and it really
set a , a huge foundation forme. Um, I owned an event
planning company for 15 years,which again, is, every, every
event is different, everyexperience is different, and
you're trying to please avariety of people in , in
stressful, high expectationscenarios. Um, and I, I also
(03:31):
managed a lot of hospitality inthe hotel industry. So , um, I
really enjoyed my time at theStanley Hotel up in Estes Park.
Speaker 2 (03:40):
I bet that
Speaker 3 (03:41):
Was wonderful. Um , you know, did my best to stay
away from all the haunts, and GULs. But , um, you
know, what a, a beautiful placeto experience hospitality. And
really, that's just been mypath, is finding ways to serve
and grow. And I can tell you nomatter what the experience is,
I've never been tunnel visionedon the role that I've had. I've
always asked lots of questions,said, how are you doing that?
(04:03):
Why are you doing that? Andtried to just absorb Mm-Hmm .
as much of everyexperience as possible. And I
think it's really created thiswell-rounded experience that
has led me to here and, andfrankly, leaning into the
failures and really challengingtimes. They weren't all great
(04:24):
and grand every time. Yeah .
But when I look back, I'm sothankful for those challenging
opportunities because itallowed me to learn how to
navigate them. Mm-Hmm.
, how to avoidthem, and also you will survive
them and, and treat them as alearning opportunity. I,
Speaker 2 (04:39):
I love what you said earlier about, you know, taking
a , a sinuous path , um, inyour career, because I have a ,
a 19-year-old and a17-year-old. My son's going off
to college, took a gap year andMm-Hmm . and I
talked a lot of them to them. Alot about, you never know where
you're gonna end up. You don'tknow who you're gonna meet. You
don't know what opportunitiesare gonna come your way. You do
your best at that age to try tofigure out some things that you
(05:01):
like, but it can be sodivergent from where you start.
And , um, it's exciting tothink about the possibilities.
And I think that there's somuch you can learn from one
industry and take it to anotherthat makes you think outside
the box, so to speak.
Speaker 3 (05:17):
They're all interwoven. And one of my
favorite quotes, and I wish Icould remember who said it, I'm
sure some, some of you outthere will remember this, but
it's to live where your feetare in the moment. And
sometimes I feel that'sbecoming lost a little bit, but
when you think about I'msupposed to be in this moment
good, bad, or somewhere in themiddle for a reason, and you
(05:40):
say, I'm gonna just make themost of whatever those reasons
are , um, it really does propelyou to continue to be in a
better place in that next step.
Mm-Hmm.
Speaker 2 (05:51):
. So
you, did you come back to Grand
Junction to work at theChamber, or did you come back
before that and then get thejob?
Speaker 3 (05:59):
I did actually come back to work , uh, for the
Chamber. I was managing a hotelin Glenwood Springs at the
time. My entire immediatefamily is still here in the
Grand Valley, and we foundourselves commuting every
weekend to come to the familybarbecues. Mm-Hmm .
and enjoy thenieces and the nephews. So ,
um, when I did start to lookhere , um, oddly enough, again,
(06:19):
leaning into the moment theywere not hiring, I stopped by,
left a resume and introducedmyself and said, if you ever
have an opportunity, I wouldlove to come speak with you. I
had , had , uh, experienceswith Chambers of Commerce in
other roles Mm-Hmm .
in othercommunities, and appreciated
the work that they did, andreally felt that the skillset I
had gathered through the yearswould lend itself well to that
(06:40):
line of work. Um, and oddlyenough, in that moment , um, a
long time staff person haddecided to retire and they were
getting ready to hire in thenext week or two. And so we
made that connection and hadcoffee and, and the rest is
history in , uh, may, that wasnine months ago that I joined
that team. And, and here we aretoday, nine years ago, or nine.
(07:01):
Yeah . Not nine months.Nine years. Nine years ago. Yep
.
Speaker 2 (07:04):
And so you , um, started as events and program
manager? Mm-Hmm.for the chamber. Okay. So you
had that event experience andhotel and hospitality
experience Mm-Hmm .
great fit. Yeah.
And then worked your way up tovice president of the
organization. Yes .
Speaker 3 (07:21):
Yes. Exactly. The more time I spent there really
diving into the initiatives,the programs, and the work that
we were doing , um, at the endof the day, everything we do is
to serve the businesscommunity. And it's all about
intentionality. And also everybusiness has different needs
and different expectations. I,I make the joke regularly that
(07:43):
if you've seen one chamber,you've seen one chamber. And I
think that can be said aboutour business community as well.
Great . Mm-Hmm. .
And so if we're constantlyoperating from that place of,
it's not a one size fits allMm-Hmm . , uh,
type of operation, we're ableto better listen to those that
we're serving and make surethat we're, we're creating
(08:03):
opportunities and resourcesthat fit the, the various needs
in the various moments. And aswe can all , um, say over the
past few years, those needshave really picked up the pace
of how they're changing andevolving. Yeah . So we have to
stay nimble. Yeah. And, and sowhether it was events and
programs, making sure that inthe moment those were relative
(08:25):
and effective , uh, you justcontinue to grow that scale
with the different initiativesand efforts as, as we kind of
grew within the chamber. Yeah .
Speaker 2 (08:34):
So , um, you worked your way up to vice president
Mm-Hmm . underDiane Swanke . Mm-Hmm .
, who was at theChamber for how many years?
Speaker 3 (08:41):
35 years.
Speaker 2 (08:42):
35 years. Yeah .
Who, and she recently retired.
Mm-Hmm . notquite two years ago. Mm-Hmm.
and , uh, bigsearch. And you competed for
the position and were named thenew CEO in September of 21. Is
that right? August, September,October
Speaker 3 (08:57):
22.
Speaker 2 (08:58):
22. Yes.
Speaker 3 (08:59):
Okay . So, yeah, they , uh, we did a national
search for , uh, the nextleader of our organization,
which was critical to everybodyincluding me. Mm-Hmm .
, uh, you know ,uh, any opportunity that I've
been presented, I don't want itjust because I'm the next name
on a list. Absolutely. Or thenext office down. Our
community, Des deserves better.
Our businesses deserve better.
(09:19):
We need to make sure that wewere picking the best person to
represent them and theorganization moving forward,
which in turn, I still get, youknow, goosebumps. That and just
the honor and how humbled I wasto be selected as that
candidate. It's not lost on me, uh, the, the work that we do
(09:41):
as an organization. And so I'mjust so proud to, to represent
them and, and have come throughthat process knowing that I'm
the best fit to lead thecommunity and, and proudly show
up every day to do that.
Mm-Hmm..
Speaker 2 (09:53):
And what kind of fears did you have about taking
over this organization that hadbeen under , uh, one person's
leadership for so long?
Speaker 3 (10:03):
You know, it's, you've heard the term, there's,
it's big shoes to fill, butfrankly, I wanted to make sure
that I honored the work thathad been done. Mm-Hmm .
because ourorganization was positioned in
a very strong way here in thecommunity. So I wanted to honor
that work, but I also wanted tobe able to take a step back and
(10:23):
say, we know who we've been andthe journey we've come along,
but who do we need to be andwho should we be as we continue
to move forward? Mm-Hmm.
and making surethat we, we honor our, our
past, but don't remain anchoredthere as we continue to move
forward. Um, and so I think itwas, I am not sure if it was a
(10:45):
fear, but it was something thatI, I felt a lot of pressure to
make sure in this role that Iwas able to do. Uh, we, there's
a lot of expectations. Andagain, I mentioned they, they
vary from business to business,from community partner to
stakeholder. And so it's reallyjust trying to make sure that I
am listening first and engagingin a meaningful way in any, any
(11:08):
way that I can. And reallymoving with intentionality
anytime we take a step. Well ,
Speaker 2 (11:15):
You used the word, now , I can't remember the word
. Nimble
Speaker 3 (11:19):
. Yes.
Speaker 2 (11:20):
Um, and, and that's what I saw in my tenure on the
board, was that in thetransition over to you, you
really wanted to be nimble and, and , and think about how do
we change, how do we grow?
Mm-Hmm . . Andsome really amazing things
occurred at the same time thatGEP and the Business Incubator
were also having newleadership. So there was an
(11:42):
opportunity for you all toreally make some big changes
and, and collaborate. And wetalk about that word a lot on
this podcast and with a lot ofthe community leaders. But it's
true. I mean, it really gotbetter and better and better
with just new possibilities.
Speaker 3 (11:58):
Absolutely. It was such an amazing time, and it ,
it's continuing now, but allthree organizations, again,
have been positioned and ledin, in successful manners up to
this point. But coming out ofthe pandemic and the amazing
opportunities that ourcommunity is currently
(12:19):
exploring, it was so perfectlytimed to have three new leaders
who while new to their roles,weren't new to the community.
Mm-Hmm . , um,except for dita , who at the
same time, I think it was sovaluable to have someone with
that outside perspective tocontinue to just,
Speaker 2 (12:38):
And an international perspective
Speaker 3 (12:40):
At that Oh , amazing. And experienced and
just so knowledgeable. So withthe different experiences we
all brought to the table , um,and again, being able to
acknowledge where we've comefrom, how we got here, and
where we want to go movingforward in that collab, truly
collaborative, not justcollaborative, for the sake of
saying collaborative, yes . Buttruly, here are the resources.
(13:01):
Let's lay our cards on thetable. Let's make sure we're
leveraging them to the most ,um, the , the best possible
outcomes. But also askingourselves, who's not at this
table that we need to have atthis table? Because , uh, I
think we all three say itregularly and, and we'll
continue to say it , is, it'snot about who's doing the work,
(13:22):
it's about just making sure thework is getting done for the
betterment of the community.
Because all roads are leadingtowards success
Speaker 2 (13:30):
And not being work, not being duplicated too.
Speaker 3 (13:33):
Oh, you wanna take, talk about a big waste of
resource. It's, it'sduplicative efforts. And
frankly, when you get outsideof our community and talk to
practitioners who do similarwork, quite frankly, they're
shocked at the way that ourcommunity comes together and
leverages resources and worksextremely hard to not duplicate
(13:53):
efforts. So many communities,that's the standard. Mm-Hmm.
. There's,there's no precedent set to
say, it doesn't matter who getsthe credit, who's doing the
work. Let's not duplicate.
Let's, let's put all of ourmoney into one pot and move
forward and make sure thoseefforts are , um, maximized.
And so, yes, duplication is, itis a huge barrier to actually
(14:19):
making things effective.
Mm-Hmm. whenyou're talking about resources,
Speaker 2 (14:22):
And to have leadership in all the
organizations that realize thatand say, Mm-Hmm .
, you know, that, thatcollaboration is so important.
And how do we get rid of thewaste?
Speaker 3 (14:31):
Well, Christie , it's not easy. It's , I'm sure
not . It's actually very easyto give into duplication and
siloing of efforts and justgoing about your business and
let's another party over herego about their business. And
you cross paths when you, whenyou're walking down the street,
it takes a commitment. And Iactually compare it to a
(14:54):
marriage. Marriage is work.
Mm-Hmm .collaboration is work. You have
to invest in it. There's timesthat , um, things are going
great. There's times thatthere's challenges, there's
times that you may agree,disagree, but looking at that
and saying, we're gonna comeout of it for the better on the
other side. Mm-Hmm .
is the approachthat we're taking. And it , it
(15:15):
continues to lead to veryexciting results. Mm-Hmm.
Speaker 2 (15:17):
. I
wanna circle back to something
that I mentioned at thebeginning, which was , um, what
is, what do you believe is therole of a chamber of commerce
in today's technology drivenmarketplace? Mm-Hmm.
. Um, how do yousupport businesses and, and I
mean, give us your elevatorspeech when you meet somebody
that maybe doesn't know whatthe chamber does or is not a
(15:40):
member.
Speaker 3 (15:41):
Yeah. That's a great question. And I think you
nailed it earlier on when yousaid that originally, the first
thought that comes in your mindis that networking piece. But ,
uh, that's just one of thetools in the toolbox. Mm-Hmm.
, the chamber'srole in the , in the community,
if I could sum it up in oneword, is to be that convener.
(16:01):
We aren't responsible forcreating all of the solutions,
creating all the resources, butwhat we should be is a pathway
to those resources and thosesolutions. We should be a
pathway to representation,making sure that the business
voice is heard throughout allthe conversations, whether it's
at the , the local level, thestate level, the federal level.
(16:22):
We should be that early warningsystem for our community so
that we know if there is abarrier or a burden that is
truly preventing success withinour local businesses, our
economy, that we're able toraise our hand and say,
community partners, that wehave this collaborative web
woven with. This is somethingthat is increasing in nature.
(16:48):
Let's tackle it collectively sothat we don't have businesses
leaving our communitybusinesses who no longer want
to look at our community tocome into, or that the
businesses here aren't growingand thriving. Because if you're
not growing, unfortunately, youare moving the other direction.
Yeah . And we often hear , wedon't wanna grow, we don't
(17:09):
wanna grow. Well , right .
Speaker 2 (17:09):
Not everybody loves growth.
Speaker 3 (17:11):
I think when we define growth, it's, it's an
intentionality. 'cause it ,it's like a weed in a garden
that it's going to grow or it'sgoing to die. And we definitely
don't wanna die and shrivel upin our economy, but we can be
very intentional with thegrowth that we're having so
that it is sustainable. And so,as a chamber, we wanna make
sure that we're constantlyengaging with the business
(17:33):
community, the variousindustries, all shapes and
sizes, saying, how is it going?
Mm-Hmm. , whatare your big barriers? What
resources do you wish you havethat you don't have? And we're
able to leverage that conveningskill to bring all of, of our
partners, all the resources tothe table and say, this is the
work that needs to be done.
Speaker 2 (17:53):
Do you think that the general public or the, or
the business owners in ourvalley and the members of the
Chamber of Commerce give youenough feedback? I mean, are
are you getting calls every dayfrom your members saying, I'm
struggling with this? Or is itsomething you have to pull out
of them ? Hey, what, you know,tell us what you need help
with?
Speaker 3 (18:12):
No , another great question. We do receive a lot
of feedback and we do a lot ofpolling of feedback. I , I
think it's mixed. There's nosuch thing as too much
feedback. Right. So we couldalways use more. Um, the
biggest advice I can give toour business community is if
it's something on your mind,it's probably on the mind of
(18:33):
another business owner oroperator. Mm-Hmm .
. So share thatwith us. Talk about it. And
we've, we've tried to change uphow that works too. It's not
just these one-to-one staffmember go out to a , a business
, uh, and talk about it. We'vealso tried to create new peer
groups so that you're talkingabout it with your fellow
business peers. Mm-Hmm.
. So , uh, howare you navigating it? Are you
(18:56):
experiencing It gives us theopportunity to listen to the
various ways. It's, it'sshowing up because in different
industries it can look and feeldifferently. But again, our
role, I think, is to make surethat there are opportunities to
share that feedback at everymoment, anytime that a business
is willing to do it. But wealso can't be afraid to ask for
(19:17):
the feedback. And frankly, Ithink that's where some
communities and organizationsget into trouble because maybe
they don't wanna hear theanswers that are coming. But
feedback I have always said isa gift, good, bad, anything in
the middle. It allows us tooperate from a truly open and
honest space. And do, we don'twanna do busy work. Mm-Hmm.
, we wanna doeffective work. And that's how
(19:39):
you get to being effective isasking the hard questions.
Definitely no matter what theanswers look like on the other
side of it. Mm-Hmm.
Speaker 2 (19:45):
and
the pandemic obviously was a
super challenging time. Mm-Hmm. for businesses,
and I think the Grand JunctionChamber really rose up to meet
the challenge. Talk about howthings went through that for
the Chamber and where you areon the other side. And is your
membership stronger now becauseof that time?
Speaker 3 (20:05):
Yeah. So the, the pandemic was, it obviously was
a challenge, but I can't bemore proud of how, as a
community we navigated it. Andthere's a couple things that
contributed to how thathappened. First of all, I go
back to that convening role andhow we work very hard to
establish relationships withall of our community
stakeholders and leaders.
(20:26):
Mm-Hmm . , whenwe found ourselves in a crisis,
we weren't trying to buildrelationships with all these
partners. Right . And then findsolutions. We were able to say
,
Speaker 2 (20:36):
Hey, we're at a chamber, and we're gonna say
it's gotta happen this
Speaker 3 (20:38):
Way. Yeah. Instead, it was already a steady rhythm
of relationships where we cansay, health department, city,
county, business, community,let's all get in a room and
say, what do we have to do?
Mm-Hmm . tosupport our businesses and keep
their doors open. And everyonelaid any additional agendas
they were working on at thedoor and said, I'm all in.
(21:00):
Mm-Hmm. , what's,what would be the ideal
solution? And now what do wehave in each of our toolboxes
to contribute to it? And yousaw that in the Five Star
program? Yeah . And to see aprogram help our community,
which only really had a , afull closure for about five
weeks compared to the rest ofthe state , uh, the rest of the
(21:21):
country. Uh , we recognizedthat just in the summer of
2020, there was over $13million in sales tax that was
protected because of theefforts through that program.
That's great . Keeping our ,our businesses open. And when
we talk about how businessesare the lifeblood of a
(21:42):
community and the quality oflife, you have to take a step
back and think of theadditional benefits , uh,
around keeping your communityopen to that capacity. From a
mental health standpoint, wedid not become that closed off
, closed down community. Mm-Hmm. , because we
still had that connectivity.
(22:02):
You could still go out and graba meal. You could go shop, you
could interact with yourneighbors and friends. So the
benefits were ExpedentialMm-Hmm. . And
then you saw that picked up bythe state of Colorado and, and
implemented across the state.
And then we were very proud. Weactually, our chamber , um, I,
I worked with , um, anorganization in Canada to
(22:24):
implement the program. I knowDiane worked with some folks in
other states. Mm-Hmm .
, Michigan. So wewere able to find a solution
based simply on communitycollaboration and let's do the
hard work and protect ourcommunity. Yeah . And it was,
it was very exciting. And sowhen you come out of that, I
think our business communitywas able to see that, yes,
(22:45):
we're a member organization,but I prefer to refer to them
as investors. They're investingin our business community, and
they understand that it takes avillage to keep it strong. And
they saw that work. It wasn'tabout who was a member, who it
wasn't, we said, what do weneed to do to protect the
businesses? Let's do the work.
And that's who we are at acore. So it was a great example
(23:07):
of the work that we do. Ourorganization continues to be
strong because those investorsstayed strong with us. Um, very
few businesses closed theirdoors because of the pandemic.
And it really showed thebusiness community and our
organization how we, in thosetough times, you have to focus
(23:28):
on the most basic of services.
Mm-Hmm . thatyou're meant to provide Yes .
And services and focus on thoseand make sure that you are
relevant in the most simplestof forms in the toughest of
times. Mm-Hmm., Iwant to really
Speaker 2 (23:44):
Highlight for our listeners and viewers the many,
many things that the GrandJunction Chamber does, because
I think most people have noidea. So how many staff members
do you have at the chamber?
Speaker 3 (23:57):
We have six. Okay .
Speaker 2 (23:59):
So let's just start with something like , um, the ,
the banquet, which was, isalways super fun . Um ,
but it's a , it's a big beastto tackle.
Speaker 3 (24:08):
Yeah . It's nearly 800 people. Mm-Hmm.
Speaker 2 (24:10):
a big
organized event. Um, but really
fun. And , um, that's not theonly event you put on every
year. I mean, we , you've gotthe economic outlook and all
kinds of other things. So talkabout some of the events first.
Speaker 3 (24:22):
Yeah. So we actually provide over 150 opportunities
throughout the year to engagewith our business. So , so
we're talking weekly leads,groups, and opportunities , uh,
luncheons throughout the month,whether it's a networking
luncheon or a quarterlymembership luncheon that is
typically sharing a resource oran expertise from outside the
(24:43):
area. Of course , our big ones,like our annual banquet, our
economic outlook, we really putan emphasis this last year on
branching out to our youngprofessionals in our community.
We do run the YoungProfessionals Network here in
Mesa County, but we started upa young professional summit and
a Best Slope Next Gen award. Wewanna make sure that our young
(25:04):
professionals have a seat atthe table now, not when someone
retires or someone moves toanother community. The
perspective that they'rebringing to the table, while at
a different point in theircareer development is still
incredibly valuable.
Definitely. And what a resourcethat we need to make sure we're
including and protecting. Sothat's been a big focus and,
and a big , um, increase in ourprogramming around young
(25:27):
professionals. Uh , uh, and ofcourse, you have your business
after hours. We've reallyworked to , um, also
acknowledge that our businesscommunity is business or busy,
and a lot of organizations hostthese types of events. So the
biz mix over this last year hasbeen really great. Where we
combine efforts with Mm-Hmm .
, our fellowchambers across the valley ,
(25:48):
um, Palisade Fruita Latino, andour Young Professionals Network
and get 'em all into a room atone time. Yeah . So, great to,
to connect as business peers.
You know, the, the short storyof all of this is just so many
opportunities that are alldifferent shapes and sizes
based on a business's comfortlevel. Time. We never want to
(26:08):
be a participation basedorganization where you feel the
only value is to participate.
Businesses are busy. Mm-Hmm.
. But we do wannacreate opportunities should you
wanna engage, should you wannaconnect , uh, should you wanna
learn. Yeah. Um, or, or grow.
So , um, yes, lots of things todo every month. It's a very
(26:29):
busy time for Yes . The six ofus you throw in the legislative
session and all the work thatwe
Speaker 2 (26:34):
Do for ies . It's just Yeah. Because that's a
huge part of what the Chamberdoes too. Mm-Hmm . Is keep an
eye on the laws that are beingproposed that affect our
business community.
Speaker 3 (26:45):
Well,
Speaker 2 (26:46):
On the local and state level.
Speaker 3 (26:47):
Yes. And, you know , being in real estate, you , you
understand , uh, the analogy Imake regularly of, of keeping
an eye on your pipes andmaintaining them before they
break and you have a floodedbasement, is what we're trying
to do with our advocacyefforts. When we talk to our
businesses, the continualaddition of regulatory burdens
(27:09):
continue to add pressure. Andit's, it's from a cost
standpoint, from administrativestandpoint. So as a chamber, we
have to make sure that we'reworking with our coalition
partners across the state tocraft good policy , uh, push
back on bad policy, because itis very difficult out there.
It's, it is hard for
Speaker 2 (27:28):
Businesses how it's hard running a small business.
Speaker 3 (27:30):
The costs are increasing. Yeah . We wanna
stay competitive as a state,and I can tell you the state
surrounding us are ready totake whatever we push out.
Mm-Hmm . . And sothat does not happen naturally.
There are , um, others whoaren't as pro-business minded
as , uh, those of us whosupport the business community.
So we have to work very hardduring the 120 day legislative
(27:52):
session to eliminate policythat would do nothing but
dampen our economy and reallysupport the policy that allows
us to thrive in communitiesacross Colorado. And I have to
say that the biggest thing thatwe try to focus on is making
sure that Western Slopebusiness voices are heard.
(28:13):
Mm-Hmm. , becauseit is a different voice than
the business voices on the I 25corridor. Definitely. And while
we have similarities, it isvery nuanced. And so we wanna
make sure that our businessesare heard over there, which
goes back to making sure we'relistening to them and
representing them in a veryintentional way when we go and
(28:33):
speak on their behalf. Mm-Hmm.
Speaker 2 (28:35):
, one
of my favorite things that the
Chamber does is the YoungEntrepreneurs Academy. Mm-Hmm.
, can you speakabout that a
Speaker 3 (28:41):
Little bit? Well, you know, we want to create pro
business minds at the earlieststages possible. So our Young
Entrepreneur Academy is awonderful program that allows
middle and high school studentsto create their own businesses.
And I have to tell you, thesestudents, by the time they
graduate the program, areprobably better at running a
(29:02):
business than some of theadults in the community. They
have put in so much workbecause these kids are meeting
every week for three hours,
Speaker 2 (29:11):
And they're being mentored,
Speaker 3 (29:12):
Mentored by , mentored by local business
communities. Mm-Hmm.
. And they startwith an idea brainstorming
session. They don't come intothe program with an idea, and
by the time they leave, theyhave a fully fledged business
plan. They've launched it andthey present it to a panel of
investors just like you wouldsee on Shark Tank. And our
business community invests inthe startup of their company,
(29:33):
and we are now heading into our12th year of this program, and
we still see graduates who arerunning their businesses today.
Ah , that , that's wonderful.
That started them within theprogram. And , uh, it's just,
it's a really great way to seethese kids develop amazing
skills that are gonna help themno matter where they go , uh,
(29:54):
but also take a passion and anidea they have and, and launch
it. It's, it's absolutelythrilling. So
Speaker 2 (30:00):
Great love seeing, seeing them on stage at the
banquet. Oh yeah. And hearingalways
Speaker 3 (30:04):
A highlight and
Speaker 2 (30:04):
Hearing about the businesses. Definitely. And
then of course, the leadership,it's the leadership what , what
Speaker 3 (30:10):
Do you call it?
Yeah. Our Mesa CountyLeadership Program Program.
Speaker 2 (30:13):
Mm-Hmm.
,
Speaker 3 (30:14):
You know, business leaders are, are critical to
community health andconnectivity. And so again, we,
we wanna make sure we'replaying our part in cultivating
a strong pipeline of leadershipand leadership at it . Its most
basic core has to start with agood knowledge of
Speaker 2 (30:36):
How things work.
Speaker 3 (30:37):
How things work, Mm-Hmm. . And so
, uh, over the course of 10months, we have leaders from
across our community who are atall levels in their career ,
uh, spend time with us on thisprogram. And they're exploring
everything from our K through12 system, how water works here
in the valley. Um, not too manyget to people, get to walk
(30:59):
across the roller dam up inDepet Canyon. It's pretty
exciting. But we really wannapull back the curtain and
connect them with communityleaders, elected officials,
experts on how our communitycontinues to thrive, and also
where some of the fragilepoints are so that we can, as a
business community work toprotect that. And hopefully the
(31:20):
goal is to have graduates notjust be excellent in the
business that they're currentlyin, but excellent leaders out
in the community. Mm-Hmm .
all working tokeep us truly vibrant. Mm-Hmm.
Speaker 2 (31:33):
. Um,
so the leadership program is an
application process. It's notjust one come one come all. You
only have so many spots andthey're very
Speaker 3 (31:43):
Coveted. They are, we typically accept , uh,
between 20 and 30 applicants.
It's kind of grown throughoutthe years, but we wanna keep it
nice and intimate so thatthey're building a strong
network with each other, butalso that allows us to get them
access into some places thatthey might not be able to.
Mm-Hmm. . But forevery one applicant that we
(32:03):
accept, we have one applicantthat we aren't able to take.
And it's so difficult becausemm-Hmm . , you
know, 99% of the applicants arevery worthy and great
individuals, but it is highlycoveted. And so they apply ,
um, we do an interview processand then we kick off in the
fall for that 10 months of, ofclasses. So , um, we are just
(32:25):
getting ready to gear up andstart our interview process and
whittle it down for our nextfall class. Fantastic. But if ,
if you ever see the opportunityto apply, we do highly
recommend it , uh, because itis a really great way to get to
know your community better andtruly become engaged.
Speaker 2 (32:42):
Everybody that I've talked to that has gone through
the program has said it's, it'slife changing really? Mm-Hmm .
. And soeye-opening about the , all the
processes that go on and whatis our public servants do.
Mm-Hmm. how muchtime they put in. Um, you know,
just so many thatorganizations, it's like when
you watch those shows how it'smade or something, you're like,
I had no
Speaker 3 (33:00):
Idea. Exactly. Yeah.
Come away with that. It's , itliterally is how our community
is made and continues. Mm-Hmm .
To, to keep going. Mm-Hmm .
. So ,
Speaker 2 (33:07):
So what other things does the Chamber do that you
wanna highlight? I know, Imean, we could talk for hours
about all the different things,but a few more things that
maybe you're excited about.
Speaker 3 (33:20):
You know, as we continue to talk to our
business community, when wehear what's keeping them up at
night, it's really criticalthat we don't say, well, thanks
for letting us know .
We'll come back in a year andwe'll ask you again. And
regularly we hear workforcedevelopment is such a
challenge, and we're allfeeling , um, the shortage in
skilled workforce , uh,retaining employees. Mm-Hmm .
(33:42):
again, when we'relooking at barriers and
burdens, we talk aboutregulatory and policy, but
workforce is a huge barrier andburden right now. So at, at the
Chamber, we are very excitedabout our new initiative that
we started this last yearcalled West Slope Works . And
this is really an effort toacknowledge the talent pipeline
(34:03):
as a whole. And so we, we knowthat , uh, K through 12 is
critical. You're shaping skillsthat are crucial to be
successful in the workforce.
Obviously your early entry jobsare very critical as you
continue to build your skills,but how do we continue to
upskill them and re-skill themso that it is a long lasting
(34:23):
career and we're creatinggenerational mentorship back to
those who are maybe a littlebit earlier in the pipeline.
And so, by bringing togetherour partners that form this
workforce ecosystem across thevalley, we really are trying to
create opportunities for ourlocal employers to offer
work-based learningopportunities. Mm-Hmm.
knowing that ,uh, traditional conversations
(34:46):
have been, what college are yougoing to? And they really need
to shift to what career do youwanna explore? And
post-secondary is so criticalto that success. And, and that
can be a four year or two yeardegree. It can also be trades,
it can be cosmetology. Mm-Hmm .
just needs to besomething to help grow your
skills. So how can we push ourhigh school graduates into
(35:08):
those post-secondary options?
And a lot of it is by ignitingpassions they already have. And
so, as adults in our lives, howcan we look at our youth and
say they're very passionateabout this, and that can
translate to this type ofcareer and helping them find
those pathways.
Speaker 2 (35:23):
And obviously, CMU is a big partner in this
effort. Yes . Because we wouldlike to keep those CMU educated
students in our community asmuch as possible. How are you
partnering with CMU on thisinitiative?
Speaker 3 (35:36):
Absolutely. So it's a partnership of both CMU and
school District 51. So we'retrying to capture them in, in
critical developmental times intwo spots. And so , um,
obviously in middle school andhigh school, we work to try to
get them thinking about careerpaths. But when you, when you
go to to CMU, they have so, somany amazing options for
(35:58):
concurrent enrollment. With thenew tuition , uh, availability
through CMU Tech, we can belending resources to our
younger K through 12 studentsearlier on in the process.
Mm-Hmm. . Andthen as they get into CMU,
we're working really closelywith their career services team
to connect College studentswhile here with our local
(36:24):
employers, start building thatnetwork so that when they
graduate CMU, it's not thiscliff that they come to where
they're making this hugetransition in their life where
they're now leaving college. Dothey stay in Grand Junction? Do
they go, they get a full-timejob. The whole rhythm of their
life changes when they graduatecollege. So if we can start
(36:45):
plugging them into thecommunity Mm-Hmm .
. And again, thatyoung professionals , uh,
initiative is really focused onthat as well with our college
students and helping build thatcommunity around them so that
when they graduate, graduate,hopefully they've interacted
with our local employers, havesome opportunities, built out
some networks, somerelationships, so that that
(37:07):
transition is a little bit moreseamless and this community is
able to retain that amazingtalent. Mm-Hmm .
that's being cultivated withinCMU right now. Yeah.
Speaker 2 (37:16):
Wonderful. Um, what do you think is the biggest
challenge facing specificallyyour chamber of commerce right
now?
Speaker 3 (37:29):
Boy, I think our biggest challenge facing our
chamber is there's just noshortage of things to be
working on for our businesscommunity. And so it's really
being able to prioritize what ,um, is the most prevalent
issue, but also , um, we don'thave the luxury of only doing
one thing at one time. Yeah.
(37:49):
Right. So really it's time,time and resources to be able
to, to properly serve thosebusinesses that we work so hard
to serve. And , uh, a challengeI always give to our team is to
just always be listening,always be willing to pivot
because it can change soquickly. And, and a lot of the
(38:12):
work that we do, it's a longgame. Mm-Hmm.
we're , we don't see resultsovernight by shifting workforce
habits and policy changes. Soit's staying in that moment and
hunkering down and doing thehard things, because I have to
tell you, it's not always sexywork. Yeah. But it's so
(38:33):
important work and thecommunity would absolutely
notice if we weren't hereadvocating on, on their behalf.
So , um, yes. I think easysolutions, more time and more
resources.
Speaker 2 (38:45):
Right . What we all need . Yes.
Speaker 3 (38:48):
Exactly.
Speaker 2 (38:49):
Um, anything else you wanna share about something
exciting at the Chamber?
Speaker 3 (38:55):
You know, honestly, I , I think I just wanna share
gratitude because we cannot dothe work that we do without the
support of our investors.
Whether it be our businessmembers , um, our community
stakeholders, our fantasticboard members who are a working
board. They, they put in thetime our, our ambassadors out
(39:15):
in the community. It's, there'smany pieces to the puzzle of
our success. And so I'm just sograteful that the community
continues to invest in ourorganization and in our
business community, knowingthat it , it's such a critical
piece to our quality of lifeand this amazing place that we,
(39:36):
we love to live in.
Speaker 2 (39:37):
Well, I wanna say thank you for all your hard
work and your leadership atthis organization and your
collaboration with the othertwo chambers as you've talked
about, because I think that's areally cool thing. You know,
we've got such diverse thingsto offer Mm-Hmm .
from one end of the Valley tothe other. And I love that you
guys are, you know, marketingand figuring out all the
different , uh, ways that wecan benefit from each other.
(40:00):
Mm-Hmm . andcollaborate. That's great. So
if there's somebody that , um,is not a member of the Chamber
, uh, I wanna encourage peoplethat are watching and
listening. If you're not amember of the chamber, go
discover what's going on there.
Um , make an appointment withsomeone at the chamber and go
sit down and say, what are thebenefits that I would receive?
I mean, the newsletters thatyou send out every month are so
(40:22):
full of offerings, information, uh, networking opportunities,
so much stuff going on. Um, sohow can people get in touch and
get more information about howto become a member and what,
how, how it benefits them?
Speaker 3 (40:37):
So I would start at our website, which is gj
chamber.org , and start theregetting to know us a little
bit, contacting us. There'scontact information on the
website. And to my pointbefore, let's have a
conversation. Mm-Hmm .
because onebusiness's experience was based
on their needs and theirexpectations. And we wanna hear
(40:59):
from you on how we could bestserve you and match the
resources and the opportunitiesto, to make that journey
successful. So we would love tojust have a conversation, or
even if you're just a businessor community partner that just
wants to learn more Mm-Hmm .
or has somethoughts or some concerns or
ideas. Again, the more we knowabout our community, the better
(41:22):
we all are for it. Yeah.
Speaker 2 (41:24):
Wonderful. Well said. Thank you Candace
Carnahan from Grand JunctionChamber of Commerce. We
appreciate you being heretoday. And , um, make sure you
go check out the website andthanks for watching and
listening, and we'll see younext time on the Full Circle
podcast. Bye . Thanks forlistening. This is Kristy Reese
signing out from the FullCircle Podcast.
Speaker 2 (00:06):
The Full Circle podcast, compelling interviews
and incredible tales fromColorado's Western Slope, from
the mountains to the desert.
Christy Reese and her team herefrom the Movers Shakers, and
characters of the Grand Valleyand surrounding mountain towns
that make the Western slope theplace we all love. You'll
learn, you'll laugh, you'lllove with the full circle.
Hello everyone and welcome backto the Full Circle Podcast. I'm
(00:27):
your host, Kristy Reese, andtoday I'm really excited and
honored to have as our guest,Candace Carnahan, president and
CEO of the Grand Junction AreaChamber of Commerce. Welcome,
Candace.
Speaker 3 (00:38):
Thank you Kristi .
Appreciate being here. Yeah.
Speaker 2 (00:41):
So much to talk about. There's so much that
goes on in the chamber. And ,uh, disclaimer of sorts. I was
, uh, on the board for fouryears at the Chamber and just
ended my term, but I reallyloved , uh, working with the
Chamber. And, you know, beforeI became , uh, got on the
board, I wasn't sure what aChamber did, honestly. Mm-Hmm .
(01:02):
my past experience withChambers was more about
networking, and I was like, inthis day and age, do we really
need those networkingopportunities? But honestly,
they're super valuable and theChamber does so much more.
There's , so there's a lot totalk.
into that, we always like tostart with a little bit of your
history. So you grew up inGrand Junction, correct?
Speaker 3 (01:24):
I did. Born and raised here in Grand Junction.
So proud graduate of CentralHigh School. Nice. Of course,
did the traditional walkaboutgo out , experience things ,
uh, but so excited to come backinto the community and now just
absolutely honored and humbledto serve this community that ,
uh, I have been a part of myentire life in this , this
(01:45):
role. So, yes, very
Speaker 2 (01:47):
Exciting. Awesome.
You went to Colorado StateUniversity? Mm-Hmm.
Speaker 3 (01:51):
I did. So actually I majored in speech and
theatrical design. So just toshow you that your path might
be curvy and not what youalways intended. Absolutely.
Um, but it's, it's interesting.
Learned so many differentthings, but it's really the
journey between college and nowthat has really led me to where
(02:12):
I'm at today. Mm-Hmm.
Speaker 2 (02:13):
And, and talk a little bit about that path.
What kind of jobs andprofessions were you in, in the
interim? Yeah.
Speaker 3 (02:20):
You know, I've always found myself very
service oriented in whateverrole I've been in. So obviously
I've done my time in , uh,being a waitress and food
service, which so many of ushave done, which I think is
critical and everybody should ,and they should. I was, I was
just getting ready to say thesame thing. You learned so much
Mm-Hmm .
roles. Um, but I, I did go andwork at , uh, Walt Disney World
(02:44):
for seven years, where I , um,trained on their traditions and
their standards. And when youwanna talk gold standards of ,
oh boy, how to make sure thatyou're navigating service and
crafting an experience forpeople every day , uh, quite
frankly, no matter what kind ofday you are having, it's
potentially the best day oftheir lives. Yeah. Um, you
(03:08):
learn so much of what to do,what not to do, and it really
set a , a huge foundation forme. Um, I owned an event
planning company for 15 years,which again, is, every, every
event is different, everyexperience is different, and
you're trying to please avariety of people in , in
stressful, high expectationscenarios. Um, and I, I also
(03:31):
managed a lot of hospitality inthe hotel industry. So , um, I
really enjoyed my time at theStanley Hotel up in Estes Park.
Speaker 2 (03:40):
I bet that
Speaker 3 (03:41):
Was wonderful. Um , you know, did my best to stay
away from all the haunts,
know, what a, a beautiful placeto experience hospitality. And
really, that's just been mypath, is finding ways to serve
and grow. And I can tell you nomatter what the experience is,
I've never been tunnel visionedon the role that I've had. I've
always asked lots of questions,said, how are you doing that?
(04:03):
Why are you doing that? Andtried to just absorb Mm-Hmm .
think it's really created thiswell-rounded experience that
has led me to here and, andfrankly, leaning into the
failures and really challengingtimes. They weren't all great
(04:24):
and grand every time. Yeah .
But when I look back, I'm sothankful for those challenging
opportunities because itallowed me to learn how to
navigate them. Mm-Hmm.
them and, and treat them as alearning opportunity. I,
Speaker 2 (04:39):
I love what you said earlier about, you know, taking
a , a sinuous path , um, inyour career, because I have a ,
a 19-year-old and a17-year-old. My son's going off
to college, took a gap year andMm-Hmm .
talked a lot of them to them. Alot about, you never know where
you're gonna end up. You don'tknow who you're gonna meet. You
don't know what opportunitiesare gonna come your way. You do
your best at that age to try tofigure out some things that you
(05:01):
like, but it can be sodivergent from where you start.
And , um, it's exciting tothink about the possibilities.
And I think that there's somuch you can learn from one
industry and take it to anotherthat makes you think outside
the box, so to speak.
Speaker 3 (05:17):
They're all interwoven. And one of my
favorite quotes, and I wish Icould remember who said it, I'm
sure some, some of you outthere will remember this, but
it's to live where your feetare in the moment. And
sometimes I feel that'sbecoming lost a little bit, but
when you think about I'msupposed to be in this moment
good, bad, or somewhere in themiddle for a reason, and you
(05:40):
say, I'm gonna just make themost of whatever those reasons
are , um, it really does propelyou to continue to be in a
better place in that next step.
Mm-Hmm.
Speaker 2 (05:51):
Junction to work at theChamber, or did you come back
before that and then get thejob?
Speaker 3 (05:59):
I did actually come back to work , uh, for the
Chamber. I was managing a hotelin Glenwood Springs at the
time. My entire immediatefamily is still here in the
Grand Valley, and we foundourselves commuting every
weekend to come to the familybarbecues. Mm-Hmm .
um, when I did start to lookhere , um, oddly enough, again,
(06:19):
leaning into the moment theywere not hiring, I stopped by,
left a resume and introducedmyself and said, if you ever
have an opportunity, I wouldlove to come speak with you. I
had , had , uh, experienceswith Chambers of Commerce in
other roles Mm-Hmm .
the work that they did, andreally felt that the skillset I
had gathered through the yearswould lend itself well to that
(06:40):
line of work. Um, and oddlyenough, in that moment , um, a
long time staff person haddecided to retire and they were
getting ready to hire in thenext week or two. And so we
made that connection and hadcoffee and, and the rest is
history in , uh, may, that wasnine months ago that I joined
that team. And, and here we aretoday, nine years ago, or nine.
(07:01):
Yeah . Not nine months.
.
Speaker 2 (07:04):
And so you , um, started as events and program
manager? Mm-Hmm.
had that event experience andhotel and hospitality
experience Mm-Hmm .
And then worked your way up tovice president of the
organization. Yes .
Speaker 3 (07:21):
Yes. Exactly. The more time I spent there really
diving into the initiatives,the programs, and the work that
we were doing , um, at the endof the day, everything we do is
to serve the businesscommunity. And it's all about
intentionality. And also everybusiness has different needs
and different expectations. I,I make the joke regularly that
(07:43):
if you've seen one chamber,you've seen one chamber. And I
think that can be said aboutour business community as well.
Great . Mm-Hmm.
And so if we're constantlyoperating from that place of,
it's not a one size fits allMm-Hmm .
type of operation, we're ableto better listen to those that
we're serving and make surethat we're, we're creating
(08:03):
opportunities and resourcesthat fit the, the various needs
in the various moments. And aswe can all , um, say over the
past few years, those needshave really picked up the pace
of how they're changing andevolving. Yeah . So we have to
stay nimble. Yeah. And, and sowhether it was events and
programs, making sure that inthe moment those were relative
(08:25):
and effective , uh, you justcontinue to grow that scale
with the different initiativesand efforts as, as we kind of
grew within the chamber. Yeah .
Speaker 2 (08:34):
So , um, you worked your way up to vice president
Mm-Hmm .
Speaker 3 (08:41):
35 years.
Speaker 2 (08:42):
35 years. Yeah .
Who, and she recently retired.
Mm-Hmm .
the position and were named thenew CEO in September of 21. Is
that right? August, September,October
Speaker 3 (08:57):
22.
Speaker 2 (08:58):
22. Yes.
Speaker 3 (08:59):
Okay . So, yeah, they , uh, we did a national
search for , uh, the nextleader of our organization,
which was critical to everybodyincluding me. Mm-Hmm .
been presented, I don't want itjust because I'm the next name
on a list. Absolutely. Or thenext office down. Our
community, Des deserves better.
Our businesses deserve better.
(09:19):
We need to make sure that wewere picking the best person to
represent them and theorganization moving forward,
which in turn, I still get, youknow, goosebumps. That and just
the honor and how humbled I wasto be selected as that
candidate. It's not lost on me, uh, the, the work that we do
(09:41):
as an organization. And so I'mjust so proud to, to represent
them and, and have come throughthat process knowing that I'm
the best fit to lead thecommunity and, and proudly show
up every day to do that.
Mm-Hmm.
Speaker 2 (09:53):
And what kind of fears did you have about taking
over this organization that hadbeen under , uh, one person's
leadership for so long?
Speaker 3 (10:03):
You know, it's, you've heard the term, there's,
it's big shoes to fill, butfrankly, I wanted to make sure
that I honored the work thathad been done. Mm-Hmm .
a very strong way here in thecommunity. So I wanted to honor
that work, but I also wanted tobe able to take a step back and
(10:23):
say, we know who we've been andthe journey we've come along,
but who do we need to be andwho should we be as we continue
to move forward? Mm-Hmm.
past, but don't remain anchoredthere as we continue to move
forward. Um, and so I think itwas, I am not sure if it was a
(10:45):
fear, but it was something thatI, I felt a lot of pressure to
make sure in this role that Iwas able to do. Uh, we, there's
a lot of expectations. Andagain, I mentioned they, they
vary from business to business,from community partner to
stakeholder. And so it's reallyjust trying to make sure that I
am listening first and engagingin a meaningful way in any, any
(11:08):
way that I can. And reallymoving with intentionality
anytime we take a step. Well ,
Speaker 2 (11:15):
You used the word, now , I can't remember the word
Speaker 3 (11:19):
Speaker 2 (11:20):
Um, and, and that's what I saw in my tenure on the
board, was that in thetransition over to you, you
really wanted to be nimble and, and , and think about how do
we change, how do we grow?
Mm-Hmm .
occurred at the same time thatGEP and the Business Incubator
were also having newleadership. So there was an
(11:42):
opportunity for you all toreally make some big changes
and, and collaborate. And wetalk about that word a lot on
this podcast and with a lot ofthe community leaders. But it's
true. I mean, it really gotbetter and better and better
with just new possibilities.
Speaker 3 (11:58):
Absolutely. It was such an amazing time, and it ,
it's continuing now, but allthree organizations, again,
have been positioned and ledin, in successful manners up to
this point. But coming out ofthe pandemic and the amazing
opportunities that ourcommunity is currently
(12:19):
exploring, it was so perfectlytimed to have three new leaders
who while new to their roles,weren't new to the community.
Mm-Hmm .
same time, I think it was sovaluable to have someone with
that outside perspective tocontinue to just,
Speaker 2 (12:38):
And an international perspective
Speaker 3 (12:40):
At that Oh , amazing. And experienced and
just so knowledgeable. So withthe different experiences we
all brought to the table , um,and again, being able to
acknowledge where we've comefrom, how we got here, and
where we want to go movingforward in that collab, truly
collaborative, not justcollaborative, for the sake of
saying collaborative, yes . Buttruly, here are the resources.
(13:01):
Let's lay our cards on thetable. Let's make sure we're
leveraging them to the most ,um, the , the best possible
outcomes. But also askingourselves, who's not at this
table that we need to have atthis table? Because , uh, I
think we all three say itregularly and, and we'll
continue to say it , is, it'snot about who's doing the work,
(13:22):
it's about just making sure thework is getting done for the
betterment of the community.
Because all roads are leadingtowards success
Speaker 2 (13:30):
And not being work, not being duplicated too.
Speaker 3 (13:33):
Oh, you wanna take, talk about a big waste of
resource. It's, it'sduplicative efforts. And
frankly, when you get outsideof our community and talk to
practitioners who do similarwork, quite frankly, they're
shocked at the way that ourcommunity comes together and
leverages resources and worksextremely hard to not duplicate
(13:53):
efforts. So many communities,that's the standard. Mm-Hmm.
say, it doesn't matter who getsthe credit, who's doing the
work. Let's not duplicate.
Let's, let's put all of ourmoney into one pot and move
forward and make sure thoseefforts are , um, maximized.
And so, yes, duplication is, itis a huge barrier to actually
(14:19):
making things effective.
Mm-Hmm.
Speaker 2 (14:22):
And to have leadership in all the
organizations that realize thatand say, Mm-Hmm .
, you know, that, thatcollaboration is so important.
And how do we get rid of thewaste?
Speaker 3 (14:31):
Well, Christie , it's not easy. It's , I'm sure
not . It's actually very easyto give into duplication and
siloing of efforts and justgoing about your business and
let's another party over herego about their business. And
you cross paths when you, whenyou're walking down the street,
it takes a commitment. And Iactually compare it to a
(14:54):
marriage. Marriage is work.
Mm-Hmm .
to invest in it. There's timesthat , um, things are going
great. There's times thatthere's challenges, there's
times that you may agree,disagree, but looking at that
and saying, we're gonna comeout of it for the better on the
other side. Mm-Hmm .
(15:15):
continues to lead to veryexciting results. Mm-Hmm.
Speaker 2 (15:17):
that I mentioned at thebeginning, which was , um, what
is, what do you believe is therole of a chamber of commerce
in today's technology drivenmarketplace? Mm-Hmm.
mean, give us your elevatorspeech when you meet somebody
that maybe doesn't know whatthe chamber does or is not a
(15:40):
member.
Speaker 3 (15:41):
Yeah. That's a great question. And I think you
nailed it earlier on when yousaid that originally, the first
thought that comes in your mindis that networking piece. But ,
uh, that's just one of thetools in the toolbox. Mm-Hmm.
if I could sum it up in oneword, is to be that convener.
(16:01):
We aren't responsible forcreating all of the solutions,
creating all the resources, butwhat we should be is a pathway
to those resources and thosesolutions. We should be a
pathway to representation,making sure that the business
voice is heard throughout allthe conversations, whether it's
at the , the local level, thestate level, the federal level.
(16:22):
We should be that early warningsystem for our community so
that we know if there is abarrier or a burden that is
truly preventing success withinour local businesses, our
economy, that we're able toraise our hand and say,
community partners, that wehave this collaborative web
woven with. This is somethingthat is increasing in nature.
(16:48):
Let's tackle it collectively sothat we don't have businesses
leaving our communitybusinesses who no longer want
to look at our community tocome into, or that the
businesses here aren't growingand thriving. Because if you're
not growing, unfortunately, youare moving the other direction.
Yeah . And we often hear , wedon't wanna grow, we don't
(17:09):
wanna grow. Well , right .
Speaker 2 (17:09):
Not everybody loves growth.
Speaker 3 (17:11):
I think when we define growth, it's, it's an
intentionality. 'cause it ,it's like a weed in a garden
that it's going to grow or it'sgoing to die. And we definitely
don't wanna die and shrivel upin our economy, but we can be
very intentional with thegrowth that we're having so
that it is sustainable. And so,as a chamber, we wanna make
sure that we're constantlyengaging with the business
(17:33):
community, the variousindustries, all shapes and
sizes, saying, how is it going?
Mm-Hmm.
resources do you wish you havethat you don't have? And we're
able to leverage that conveningskill to bring all of, of our
partners, all the resources tothe table and say, this is the
work that needs to be done.
Speaker 2 (17:53):
Do you think that the general public or the, or
the business owners in ourvalley and the members of the
Chamber of Commerce give youenough feedback? I mean, are
are you getting calls every dayfrom your members saying, I'm
struggling with this? Or is itsomething you have to pull out
of them ? Hey, what, you know,tell us what you need help
with?
Speaker 3 (18:12):
No , another great question. We do receive a lot
of feedback and we do a lot ofpolling of feedback. I , I
think it's mixed. There's nosuch thing as too much
feedback. Right. So we couldalways use more. Um, the
biggest advice I can give toour business community is if
it's something on your mind,it's probably on the mind of
(18:33):
another business owner oroperator. Mm-Hmm .
we've, we've tried to change uphow that works too. It's not
just these one-to-one staffmember go out to a , a business
, uh, and talk about it. We'vealso tried to create new peer
groups so that you're talkingabout it with your fellow
business peers. Mm-Hmm.
(18:56):
experiencing It gives us theopportunity to listen to the
various ways. It's, it'sshowing up because in different
industries it can look and feeldifferently. But again, our
role, I think, is to make surethat there are opportunities to
share that feedback at everymoment, anytime that a business
is willing to do it. But wealso can't be afraid to ask for
(19:17):
the feedback. And frankly, Ithink that's where some
communities and organizationsget into trouble because maybe
they don't wanna hear theanswers that are coming. But
feedback I have always said isa gift, good, bad, anything in
the middle. It allows us tooperate from a truly open and
honest space. And do, we don'twanna do busy work. Mm-Hmm.
(19:39):
you get to being effective isasking the hard questions.
Definitely no matter what theanswers look like on the other
side of it. Mm-Hmm.
Speaker 2 (19:45):
super challenging time. Mm-Hmm.
and I think the Grand JunctionChamber really rose up to meet
the challenge. Talk about howthings went through that for
the Chamber and where you areon the other side. And is your
membership stronger now becauseof that time?
Speaker 3 (20:05):
Yeah. So the, the pandemic was, it obviously was
a challenge, but I can't bemore proud of how, as a
community we navigated it. Andthere's a couple things that
contributed to how thathappened. First of all, I go
back to that convening role andhow we work very hard to
establish relationships withall of our community
stakeholders and leaders.
(20:26):
Mm-Hmm .
we weren't trying to buildrelationships with all these
partners. Right . And then findsolutions. We were able to say
,
Speaker 2 (20:36):
Hey, we're at a chamber, and we're gonna say
it's gotta happen this
Speaker 3 (20:38):
Way. Yeah. Instead, it was already a steady rhythm
of relationships where we cansay, health department, city,
county, business, community,let's all get in a room and
say, what do we have to do?
Mm-Hmm .
their doors open. And everyonelaid any additional agendas
they were working on at thedoor and said, I'm all in.
(21:00):
Mm-Hmm.
solution? And now what do wehave in each of our toolboxes
to contribute to it? And yousaw that in the Five Star
program? Yeah . And to see aprogram help our community,
which only really had a , afull closure for about five
weeks compared to the rest ofthe state , uh, the rest of the
(21:21):
country. Uh , we recognizedthat just in the summer of
2020, there was over $13million in sales tax that was
protected because of theefforts through that program.
That's great . Keeping our ,our businesses open. And when
we talk about how businessesare the lifeblood of a
(21:42):
community and the quality oflife, you have to take a step
back and think of theadditional benefits , uh,
around keeping your communityopen to that capacity. From a
mental health standpoint, wedid not become that closed off
, closed down community. Mm-Hmm.
still had that connectivity.
(22:02):
You could still go out and graba meal. You could go shop, you
could interact with yourneighbors and friends. So the
benefits were ExpedentialMm-Hmm.
then you saw that picked up bythe state of Colorado and, and
implemented across the state.
And then we were very proud. Weactually, our chamber , um, I,
I worked with , um, anorganization in Canada to
(22:24):
implement the program. I knowDiane worked with some folks in
other states. Mm-Hmm .
based simply on communitycollaboration and let's do the
hard work and protect ourcommunity. Yeah . And it was,
it was very exciting. And sowhen you come out of that, I
think our business communitywas able to see that, yes,
(22:45):
we're a member organization,but I prefer to refer to them
as investors. They're investingin our business community, and
they understand that it takes avillage to keep it strong. And
they saw that work. It wasn'tabout who was a member, who it
wasn't, we said, what do weneed to do to protect the
businesses? Let's do the work.
And that's who we are at acore. So it was a great example
(23:07):
of the work that we do. Ourorganization continues to be
strong because those investorsstayed strong with us. Um, very
few businesses closed theirdoors because of the pandemic.
And it really showed thebusiness community and our
organization how we, in thosetough times, you have to focus
(23:28):
on the most basic of services.
Mm-Hmm .
And services and focus on thoseand make sure that you are
relevant in the most simplestof forms in the toughest of
times. Mm-Hmm.
Speaker 2 (23:44):
Highlight for our listeners and viewers the many,
many things that the GrandJunction Chamber does, because
I think most people have noidea. So how many staff members
do you have at the chamber?
Speaker 3 (23:57):
We have six. Okay .
Speaker 2 (23:59):
So let's just start with something like , um, the ,
the banquet, which was, isalways super fun
but it's a , it's a big beastto tackle.
Speaker 3 (24:08):
Yeah . It's nearly 800 people. Mm-Hmm.
Speaker 2 (24:10):
fun. And , um, that's not theonly event you put on every
year. I mean, we , you've gotthe economic outlook and all
kinds of other things. So talkabout some of the events first.
Speaker 3 (24:22):
Yeah. So we actually provide over 150 opportunities
throughout the year to engagewith our business. So , so
we're talking weekly leads,groups, and opportunities , uh,
luncheons throughout the month,whether it's a networking
luncheon or a quarterlymembership luncheon that is
typically sharing a resource oran expertise from outside the
(24:43):
area. Of course , our big ones,like our annual banquet, our
economic outlook, we really putan emphasis this last year on
branching out to our youngprofessionals in our community.
We do run the YoungProfessionals Network here in
Mesa County, but we started upa young professional summit and
a Best Slope Next Gen award. Wewanna make sure that our young
(25:04):
professionals have a seat atthe table now, not when someone
retires or someone moves toanother community. The
perspective that they'rebringing to the table, while at
a different point in theircareer development is still
incredibly valuable.
Definitely. And what a resourcethat we need to make sure we're
including and protecting. Sothat's been a big focus and,
and a big , um, increase in ourprogramming around young
(25:27):
professionals. Uh , uh, and ofcourse, you have your business
after hours. We've reallyworked to , um, also
acknowledge that our businesscommunity is business or busy,
and a lot of organizations hostthese types of events. So the
biz mix over this last year hasbeen really great. Where we
combine efforts with Mm-Hmm .
(25:48):
um, Palisade Fruita Latino, andour Young Professionals Network
and get 'em all into a room atone time. Yeah . So, great to,
to connect as business peers.
You know, the, the short storyof all of this is just so many
opportunities that are alldifferent shapes and sizes
based on a business's comfortlevel. Time. We never want to
(26:08):
be a participation basedorganization where you feel the
only value is to participate.
Businesses are busy. Mm-Hmm.
wanna engage, should you wannaconnect , uh, should you wanna
learn. Yeah. Um, or, or grow.
So , um, yes, lots of things todo every month. It's a very
(26:29):
busy time for Yes . The six ofus you throw in the legislative
session and all the work thatwe
Speaker 2 (26:34):
Do for ies . It's just Yeah. Because that's a
huge part of what the Chamberdoes too. Mm-Hmm . Is keep an
eye on the laws that are beingproposed that affect our
business community.
Speaker 3 (26:45):
Well,
Speaker 2 (26:46):
On the local and state level.
Speaker 3 (26:47):
Yes. And, you know , being in real estate, you , you
understand , uh, the analogy Imake regularly of, of keeping
an eye on your pipes andmaintaining them before they
break and you have a floodedbasement, is what we're trying
to do with our advocacyefforts. When we talk to our
businesses, the continualaddition of regulatory burdens
(27:09):
continue to add pressure. Andit's, it's from a cost
standpoint, from administrativestandpoint. So as a chamber, we
have to make sure that we'reworking with our coalition
partners across the state tocraft good policy , uh, push
back on bad policy, because itis very difficult out there.
It's, it is hard for
Speaker 2 (27:28):
Businesses how it's hard running a small business.
Speaker 3 (27:30):
The costs are increasing. Yeah . We wanna
stay competitive as a state,and I can tell you the state
surrounding us are ready totake whatever we push out.
Mm-Hmm .
There are , um, others whoaren't as pro-business minded
as , uh, those of us whosupport the business community.
So we have to work very hardduring the 120 day legislative
(27:52):
session to eliminate policythat would do nothing but
dampen our economy and reallysupport the policy that allows
us to thrive in communitiesacross Colorado. And I have to
say that the biggest thing thatwe try to focus on is making
sure that Western Slopebusiness voices are heard.
(28:13):
Mm-Hmm.
the business voices on the I 25corridor. Definitely. And while
we have similarities, it isvery nuanced. And so we wanna
make sure that our businessesare heard over there, which
goes back to making sure we'relistening to them and
representing them in a veryintentional way when we go and
(28:33):
speak on their behalf. Mm-Hmm.
Speaker 2 (28:35):
Chamber does is the YoungEntrepreneurs Academy. Mm-Hmm.
Speaker 3 (28:41):
Little bit? Well, you know, we want to create pro
business minds at the earlieststages possible. So our Young
Entrepreneur Academy is awonderful program that allows
middle and high school studentsto create their own businesses.
And I have to tell you, thesestudents, by the time they
graduate the program, areprobably better at running a
(29:02):
business than some of theadults in the community. They
have put in so much workbecause these kids are meeting
every week for three hours,
Speaker 2 (29:11):
And they're being mentored,
Speaker 3 (29:12):
Mentored by , mentored by local business
communities. Mm-Hmm.
session. They don't come intothe program with an idea, and
by the time they leave, theyhave a fully fledged business
plan. They've launched it andthey present it to a panel of
investors just like you wouldsee on Shark Tank. And our
business community invests inthe startup of their company,
(29:33):
and we are now heading into our12th year of this program, and
we still see graduates who arerunning their businesses today.
Ah , that , that's wonderful.
That started them within theprogram. And , uh, it's just,
it's a really great way to seethese kids develop amazing
skills that are gonna help themno matter where they go , uh,
(29:54):
but also take a passion and anidea they have and, and launch
it. It's, it's absolutelythrilling. So
Speaker 2 (30:00):
Great love seeing, seeing them on stage at the
banquet. Oh yeah. And hearingalways
Speaker 3 (30:04):
A highlight and
Speaker 2 (30:04):
Hearing about the businesses. Definitely. And
then of course, the leadership,it's the leadership what , what
Speaker 3 (30:10):
Do you call it?
Yeah. Our Mesa CountyLeadership Program Program.
Speaker 2 (30:13):
Mm-Hmm.
Speaker 3 (30:14):
You know, business leaders are, are critical to
community health andconnectivity. And so again, we,
we wanna make sure we'replaying our part in cultivating
a strong pipeline of leadershipand leadership at it . Its most
basic core has to start with agood knowledge of
Speaker 2 (30:36):
How things work.
Speaker 3 (30:37):
How things work, Mm-Hmm.
, uh, over the course of 10months, we have leaders from
across our community who are atall levels in their career ,
uh, spend time with us on thisprogram. And they're exploring
everything from our K through12 system, how water works here
in the valley. Um, not too manyget to people, get to walk
(30:59):
across the roller dam up inDepet Canyon. It's pretty
exciting. But we really wannapull back the curtain and
connect them with communityleaders, elected officials,
experts on how our communitycontinues to thrive, and also
where some of the fragilepoints are so that we can, as a
business community work toprotect that. And hopefully the
(31:20):
goal is to have graduates notjust be excellent in the
business that they're currentlyin, but excellent leaders out
in the community. Mm-Hmm .
Speaker 2 (31:33):
application process. It's notjust one come one come all. You
only have so many spots andthey're very
Speaker 3 (31:43):
Coveted. They are, we typically accept , uh,
between 20 and 30 applicants.
It's kind of grown throughoutthe years, but we wanna keep it
nice and intimate so thatthey're building a strong
network with each other, butalso that allows us to get them
access into some places thatthey might not be able to.
Mm-Hmm.
(32:03):
accept, we have one applicantthat we aren't able to take.
And it's so difficult becausemm-Hmm .
know, 99% of the applicants arevery worthy and great
individuals, but it is highlycoveted. And so they apply ,
um, we do an interview processand then we kick off in the
fall for that 10 months of, ofclasses. So , um, we are just
(32:25):
getting ready to gear up andstart our interview process and
whittle it down for our nextfall class. Fantastic. But if ,
if you ever see the opportunityto apply, we do highly
recommend it , uh, because itis a really great way to get to
know your community better andtruly become engaged.
Speaker 2 (32:42):
Everybody that I've talked to that has gone through
the program has said it's, it'slife changing really? Mm-Hmm .
processes that go on and whatis our public servants do.
Mm-Hmm.
just so many thatorganizations, it's like when
you watch those shows how it'smade or something, you're like,
I had no
Speaker 3 (33:00):
Idea. Exactly. Yeah.
Come away with that. It's , itliterally is how our community
is made and continues. Mm-Hmm .
To, to keep going. Mm-Hmm .
Speaker 2 (33:07):
So what other things does the Chamber do that you
wanna highlight? I know, Imean, we could talk for hours
about all the different things,but a few more things that
maybe you're excited about.
Speaker 3 (33:20):
You know, as we continue to talk to our
business community, when wehear what's keeping them up at
night, it's really criticalthat we don't say, well, thanks
for letting us know
We'll come back in a year andwe'll ask you again. And
regularly we hear workforcedevelopment is such a
challenge, and we're allfeeling , um, the shortage in
skilled workforce , uh,retaining employees. Mm-Hmm .
(33:42):
burdens, we talk aboutregulatory and policy, but
workforce is a huge barrier andburden right now. So at, at the
Chamber, we are very excitedabout our new initiative that
we started this last yearcalled West Slope Works . And
this is really an effort toacknowledge the talent pipeline
(34:03):
as a whole. And so we, we knowthat , uh, K through 12 is
critical. You're shaping skillsthat are crucial to be
successful in the workforce.
Obviously your early entry jobsare very critical as you
continue to build your skills,but how do we continue to
upskill them and re-skill themso that it is a long lasting
(34:23):
career and we're creatinggenerational mentorship back to
those who are maybe a littlebit earlier in the pipeline.
And so, by bringing togetherour partners that form this
workforce ecosystem across thevalley, we really are trying to
create opportunities for ourlocal employers to offer
work-based learningopportunities. Mm-Hmm.
(34:46):
have been, what college are yougoing to? And they really need
to shift to what career do youwanna explore? And
post-secondary is so criticalto that success. And, and that
can be a four year or two yeardegree. It can also be trades,
it can be cosmetology. Mm-Hmm .
skills. So how can we push ourhigh school graduates into
(35:08):
those post-secondary options?
And a lot of it is by ignitingpassions they already have. And
so, as adults in our lives, howcan we look at our youth and
say they're very passionateabout this, and that can
translate to this type ofcareer and helping them find
those pathways.
Speaker 2 (35:23):
And obviously, CMU is a big partner in this
effort. Yes . Because we wouldlike to keep those CMU educated
students in our community asmuch as possible. How are you
partnering with CMU on thisinitiative?
Speaker 3 (35:36):
Absolutely. So it's a partnership of both CMU and
school District 51. So we'retrying to capture them in, in
critical developmental times intwo spots. And so , um,
obviously in middle school andhigh school, we work to try to
get them thinking about careerpaths. But when you, when you
go to to CMU, they have so, somany amazing options for
(35:58):
concurrent enrollment. With thenew tuition , uh, availability
through CMU Tech, we can belending resources to our
younger K through 12 studentsearlier on in the process.
Mm-Hmm.
we're working really closelywith their career services team
to connect College studentswhile here with our local
(36:24):
employers, start building thatnetwork so that when they
graduate CMU, it's not thiscliff that they come to where
they're making this hugetransition in their life where
they're now leaving college. Dothey stay in Grand Junction? Do
they go, they get a full-timejob. The whole rhythm of their
life changes when they graduatecollege. So if we can start
(36:45):
plugging them into thecommunity Mm-Hmm .
initiative is really focused onthat as well with our college
students and helping build thatcommunity around them so that
when they graduate, graduate,hopefully they've interacted
with our local employers, havesome opportunities, built out
some networks, somerelationships, so that that
(37:07):
transition is a little bit moreseamless and this community is
able to retain that amazingtalent. Mm-Hmm .
that's being cultivated withinCMU right now. Yeah.
Speaker 2 (37:16):
Wonderful. Um, what do you think is the biggest
challenge facing specificallyyour chamber of commerce right
now?
Speaker 3 (37:29):
Boy, I think our biggest challenge facing our
chamber is there's just noshortage of things to be
working on for our businesscommunity. And so it's really
being able to prioritize what ,um, is the most prevalent
issue, but also , um, we don'thave the luxury of only doing
one thing at one time. Yeah.
(37:49):
Right. So really it's time,time and resources to be able
to, to properly serve thosebusinesses that we work so hard
to serve. And , uh, a challengeI always give to our team is to
just always be listening,always be willing to pivot
because it can change soquickly. And, and a lot of the
(38:12):
work that we do, it's a longgame. Mm-Hmm.
we're , we don't see resultsovernight by shifting workforce
habits and policy changes. Soit's staying in that moment and
hunkering down and doing thehard things, because I have to
tell you, it's not always sexywork. Yeah. But it's so
(38:33):
important work and thecommunity would absolutely
notice if we weren't hereadvocating on, on their behalf.
So , um, yes. I think easysolutions, more time and more
resources.
Speaker 2 (38:45):
Right . What we all need
Speaker 3 (38:48):
Exactly.
Speaker 2 (38:49):
Um, anything else you wanna share about something
exciting at the Chamber?
Speaker 3 (38:55):
You know, honestly, I , I think I just wanna share
gratitude because we cannot dothe work that we do without the
support of our investors.
Whether it be our businessmembers , um, our community
stakeholders, our fantasticboard members who are a working
board. They, they put in thetime our, our ambassadors out
(39:15):
in the community. It's, there'smany pieces to the puzzle of
our success. And so I'm just sograteful that the community
continues to invest in ourorganization and in our
business community, knowingthat it , it's such a critical
piece to our quality of lifeand this amazing place that we,
(39:36):
we love to live in.
Speaker 2 (39:37):
Well, I wanna say thank you for all your hard
work and your leadership atthis organization and your
collaboration with the othertwo chambers as you've talked
about, because I think that's areally cool thing. You know,
we've got such diverse thingsto offer Mm-Hmm .
from one end of the Valley tothe other. And I love that you
guys are, you know, marketingand figuring out all the
different , uh, ways that wecan benefit from each other.
(40:00):
Mm-Hmm .
if there's somebody that , um,is not a member of the Chamber
, uh, I wanna encourage peoplethat are watching and
listening. If you're not amember of the chamber, go
discover what's going on there.
Um , make an appointment withsomeone at the chamber and go
sit down and say, what are thebenefits that I would receive?
I mean, the newsletters thatyou send out every month are so
(40:22):
full of offerings, information, uh, networking opportunities,
so much stuff going on. Um, sohow can people get in touch and
get more information about howto become a member and what,
how, how it benefits them?
Speaker 3 (40:37):
So I would start at our website, which is gj
chamber.org , and start theregetting to know us a little
bit, contacting us. There'scontact information on the
website. And to my pointbefore, let's have a
conversation. Mm-Hmm .
on their needs and theirexpectations. And we wanna hear
(40:59):
from you on how we could bestserve you and match the
resources and the opportunitiesto, to make that journey
successful. So we would love tojust have a conversation, or
even if you're just a businessor community partner that just
wants to learn more Mm-Hmm .
ideas. Again, the more we knowabout our community, the better
(41:22):
we all are for it. Yeah.
Speaker 2 (41:24):
Wonderful. Well said. Thank you Candace
Carnahan from Grand JunctionChamber of Commerce. We
appreciate you being heretoday. And , um, make sure you
go check out the website andthanks for watching and
listening, and we'll see younext time on the Full Circle
podcast. Bye . Thanks forlistening. This is Kristy Reese
signing out from the FullCircle Podcast.
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